Sen. Sherrod Brown is urging Ohio veterans to take advantage of a federal jobs retraining assistance program aimed at matching veterans with high-demand jobs.

Brown, D-Ohio, cosponsored a bill last year aimed at hiring veterans. Among the provisions in the bill was one that offers job retraining assistance to veterans between 35 and 60. The program is being administered by the Veterans Administration and the U.S. Department of Labor, and offers up to 12 months of training assistance to unemployed veterans.

Between July 1 and Sept. 30, 2012, VRAP will accept applications from up to 45,000 participants for retraining assistance. More than 31,000 have applied so far. An additional 54,000 veterans can apply for assistance between Oct. 1, 2012, and March 31, 2014. Participants must be enrolled in a VA-approved education program offered by Ohio’s community colleges or technical skills, and the program must lead to an Associate Degree, Non-College Degree or a Certificate, and train the Veteran for a high-demand occupation.